Qantas is in another article about migrating off of Lotus Notes. Now into their fourth year it appears to me they didn't understand how deeply integrated Notes was in their environment for daily operations according to a Delimiter article.  While they finished moving email users in 2012, the applications are taking their toll.

The nation’s largest airline Qantas has revealed that it’s still in the process of migrating its corporate email platform off IBM’s Lotus Notes/Domino platform and onto Microsoft’s Outlook/Exchange system, with the rollout now into its fourth year.

What confused me is how they are splitting all of their users up into different on premises and cloud based offerings.  Not one but now three.

..some of its staff would instead be moved onto Microsoft’s Office 365 package. In the airline’s statement today, it described the Office 365 migration as “a separate but parallel project”.

Qantas’ migration mirrors moves at its low-cost brand Jetstar, which announced in July 2011 that it would keep most of its head office staff on Microsoft’s Outlook/Exchange platform, but shift about 2,200 staff onto Google’s Apps alternative

But back to the applications themselves.  Qantas is now trying to consolidate applications down into fewer and possibly make them web enabled from what I took away.

What I want is everyone to go visit and take away from the Delimiter article is the comments section as people start to dispute complexity to move applications from Lotus Notes into other platforms.  One comment even states 85% of the work can be done with a utility, CIMtrek (I wrote about back in Oct 2010), and a couple clicks.  Sure, yes 85%. If you only use a document library.

Join in here or over there, just join in.

The Fellowes I-Spire Series Tablet Lift (model 9311301) is a one piece stand for your tablets, phones and other devices that do not exceed 1/2" thick. It will support the iPad, Samsung Galaxy, Kindle and more in both landscape and portrait modes.

I found it handy for setting the iPad almost level with my monitor to provide another screen, as shown in the video.  It was stable and did not have the bounce I expected when first opening the box and seeing the Fellowes I-Spire Series Tablet Lift. The tab on the top is important to make sure the tablet has something to lean against, so I suggest not accidentally breaking it off.

Also, I was lucky that the case I use on my Ipad doe not make it larger than 1/2" wide or the slot would not have held it.  Take that into account when either selecting a case (see my review of the awesome Acase F1 Hard Shell Case Folio for iPad) and the stand as a combination.

You can get the device below and please let Amazon know these reviews helped you as well by clicking the Yes button on our review.

http://idonot.es/fellowestabletlift

Make sure you keep up with all of the product reviews from Spiked Studio from our YouTube playlist .

I have been using Copy.com as an alternative to Dropbox for splitting work and personal storage. Right now Copy.com is offering 15GB free cloud storage for new accounts.

The performance of the service on Copy.com has been great. Upload speeds have been quick and folder management easy.  I am waiting on their mobile apps to be released to make it even better.  All the sites offer different upgrades and enhancements like password protection of files, expiring shared links, and more.

So why do I use multiple sites like Copy.com, Dropbox, Box.net and more?

• Well free storage is one with the amount of data everyone now has
• Separation of personal and business data is another.  I know that any folder I share on one service would never contain the other information. Call it a simple obscurity step to also reduce making mistakes. Like family photos, vacations and stuff like that would then not appear on the business one

So how do I easily manage it? Simple. I have two folders inside the syn folder.  One is set for business and one for personal.  I then have subfolders as needed under them and then they automatically get synchronized with  Copy.com and Dropbox.

So go get 15GB free on Copy.com while they still offer it for new accounts
https://copy.com?r=CPTn0g

Disclosure: That is simple a referrer tracking link so I might get some extra free space by helping share the 15 GB free on Copy.com

The IamLUG 2013 keynote with Louis Richardson of IBM and Kirk Bowman of Zipline is now available for replay on YouTube.  Louis is an excellent storyteller and social whisperer that draws you in covering creative ideas. Kirk follows with making good social choices. This is an excellent keynote for technical and managers alike.

Subscribe to all of the Spiked Studio / IdoNotes shows on YouTube. You can also subscribe to the keynote playlist and catch up on may user group keynote events.

IBM has released a white paper titled Choosing between Notes 9.0 Social Edition and Microsoft Outlook 2013 from the IBM Software Group Competitive Project Office.

For the most part, both IBM Notes and Microsoft Outlook perform well when handling typical email, calendaring, and contact management tasks. But when we step beyond those standard Personal Information Management (PIM) tasks, IBM Notes really starts to shine. It all starts with Notes’ renowned security, customizability, and distributed architecture. Combine that with the Eclipse framework and the result is a flexible, extensible, multi-platform application that offers significant functionality beyond what Outlook provides.

In the 31 page whitepaper they look at  the supposed evolution of email into a social realm then dig into some example scenarios comparing Notes 9.0 Social Edition and Microsoft Outlook. There are quite a few footers with links to some good articles in there as well.

You can only seem to get your hands on this report if you can log into IBM Partnerworld as part of their sales kit package.  I think this would be more helpful to everyone in todays corporate environments.  Thoughts?

UPDATE: IBM replied to my inquiry saying that the document is still under review for public consumption and is to be used for face to face meetings and in preparation for customer meetings.  It is not to be left behind at this time with the customers until it is cleared for public.

A large number of us received some spam notices from the IBM.com Connections server this past week. I was surprised to see this enter my stream and send my email notifications from the main IBM Connections environment:

naomi bashir posted a message to you:
naomi bashir Hello dear new friend,
My name is Naomi Bashir a good looking girl.I
have a special reason of contacting you which i will make known to you, Please write to my email address box: (bashirnaomi@yahoo.com)so that
I will tell you more about me and send my pic to you bye.
Naomi

Now the more entertaining portion was that some people connected to this account (as shown in the stream) and IBM quickly deactivated the account.

This person is no longer an active user.

With any open system this is bound to happen, but it does ask the question what form of spam preventions and controls exist in the current IBM Connections servers.  Anyone?

IamLUG 2013 will be live streaming the keynote on the IamLUG channel on uStream. There are also new slots open to attend!

Link to the live streaming blog post
Link to the IamLUG uStream channel

Additional slots have opened for IamLUG due to some late sponsor additions and a couple cancellations.  If you have been debating coming to IamLUG 2013, for some strange reason, then grab one of the spots now.  Two days of free event followed by TackItOn (optional) deep tech training from Teamstudio and TLCC for a small fee

Link to the additional slots post

I was on the April 2013 monthly IBM Collaboration Solutions community webcast this week and was overly impressed by the XPages application demo from two IamLUG attendees!

Our main speakers were community members Sam Bridegroom and Abby Butts, who explained the various ways that they have developed XPages applications for a non-profit healthcare system in Indiana to: 1) enhance patient care, 2) improve staff communication, and 3) integrate existing disparate systems. Especially impressive was how much money they were able to save the organization by using XPages!

I suggest everyone, even administrators, watch this replay to see how to easily save time, provide mobility and make users happy with an interface.

The Energizer LED Pop Up 360 Area Lantern with Light Fusion Technology was bright with 150 lumens and was a very weak area light when on the lowest dimmable lamp setting. In mixed usage I got under 100 hours on a single set of 4 AA batteries.

With the rubber case it is supposedly water resistant. I was a bit wary to test that but I can see where they put the rubber seal around the bottom near the batteries for added protection. With the rest being plastic, there is not much to damage. The rubber strap allows you to hang the lantern or wrap it around the lantern for storage.

The downsides to the Energizer LED Pop Up 360 Area Lantern were the un-packaging as I show in the video. You will want this ready for usage when you go to use it the first time, mainly in an emergency. Others have pointed out and I show in the video, you will have to reset the lantern from Test Me mode before the first usage. That fact is very well hidden in small text on the inside of the instruction guide.

One thing I noticed was the ability to close the device totally and have it still lit. There was no safety to make sure an accidentally bump could turn it on. This would prove to be an issue if it came on during transport or storage and left you without usage when you really needed it. I would have hoped for a safety lock/switch when it was closed to prevent that from happening.

Overall a great value and needed on camping trips for strong and long lasting light via LED technology. For the price I would suggest this to most campers and definitely for those wanting a small deck light that uses power well.

Get your hands on this right here.
http://idonot.es/energizerpopuplantern



You can get the device below and please let Amazon know these reviews helped you as well by clicking the Yes button on our review.

I landed on Monday afternoon into Boston for ViewAdmin 2013 in a very rushed, fast and hard landing on American Airlines. We all looked expectantly at each other in my row asking the WTF question.  That was soon answered as we sat on the taxi way and everyone, I do mean almost everyone's, cellphones began ringing, vibrating and receiving text messages.  You know the rest of this part of the story.

With magic, WIS pulled off the ViewAdmin2013 conference with jumpstarts and three days of session including Friday while we were in total lockdown.  Do I think they could have pulled the plug at any point and people would have understood? Yes. Did we stop? No. It felt better to keep going, ignore the news since everyone was safe and there was nothing we could do at that moment and spend time making a new bunch of friends.  Inside of that group thrown together is people I call family. Not just other speakers but attendees that I have seen for many years at numerous events.

Susan and Andy already blogged some good summaries of their own and we all have the same general feeling.  Celia, Susie and the WIS team held it all together, the presenters gave it everything they had (even with one of us being sick one night) and put on a heck of a good content driven show.

Everyone made it to their next destinations without any incident that would even matter after the week. I grabbed some pics while there to show the isolation and emergency alerts (find me on Instagram) that Susan already tracked down. I even included a big ass chair pic that became our work area most of the day when we weren't presenting.

Let me also thank the Hotel Marlowe for added security, finding anything you may possibly want and even going extra steps with small things like late checkouts for anyone and finding food when deliveries could not be made at the end of the week due to the lockdowns

Strangely I landed so late even the airport was a zombie city which just carried the feeling all the way home

Watch the What's New in IBM Domino Designer 9.0 webcast replay with Paul Calhoun and Kathy Brown from Consultant In Your Pocket.  Brought to you by IamLUG.  Watch the replay and subscribe to the Consultant In Your Pocket playlist on YouTube or the entire IdoNotes channel.

You can stream any previous webcast at the Consultant In Your Pocket site and on YouTube.  Recent webcasts include:

• What's New in IBM Domino, Notes, Traveler and XWork Server 9.0
• What's New in Notes, Domino, Traveler 8.5.3
• What's New in Sametime 8.5.2

Registration is still open for the webcast What's New in Domino Designer 9.0 on April 11 2013 at 10am CST.

Join Consultant In Your Pocket with panelists Paul Calhoun of NNSU and Kathy Brown of PSC Group.

Paul and Kathy will discuss What is New in Domino Designer 9.  There are lots of improvements in Designer including new elements, new resources, and new help.  New controls and classes have been added for XPages, including spell check for the CKEditor and ... server-side JavaScript debugging!

You can register for the webcast right here

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What's New in IBM Domino, Notes & Traveler 9.0 was recorded and is available for streaming.

Most of you should be developing mobile apps with Xpages by now. How about a one day workshop for only $495 from Teamstudio? Come to IamLUG for two days of free training and then stick around for the TackItOn Wednesday May 8th for an IamLUG only price of $495.

For an increasing number of people going mobile is no longer a luxury, but a critical step in staying competitive. If you haven’t been asked to start developing mobile Notes® apps yet, it’s a pretty safe bet that you will be soon. 

Don’t know where to start? Join Teamstudio for this one day workshop, and through hands-on exercises using XPages, you’ll learn how to deliver a mobile application to your workforce.
You will gain clear understanding for the needs of different types of mobile users and define your mobile strategy for both short and long-term success.

Individual components of the Workshop include:
Understanding the mobile landscape
Using the IBM Mobile Controls Project
Introduction to JQuery Mobile
OpenNTF Mobile Controls
Form and view decomposition
Designing for tablets and smartphones simultaneously
Signature capture
Offline support using Unplugged

Register for IamLUG and the TackItOn day over at the IamLUG site now where there is still space!

Join Consultant In Your Pocket for a webcast April 11 2013 for What's New in IBM Domino Designer 9.0 with panelists Paul Calhoun of NNSU and Kathy Brown of PSC Group.

Paul and Kathy will discuss What is New in Domino Designer 9.  There are lots of improvements in Designer including new elements, new resources, and new help.  New controls and classes have been added for XPages, including spell check for the CKEditor and ... server-side JavaScript debugging!

You can register for the webcast right here that is taking place April 11 2013 at 10am CST.

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What's New in IBM Domino, Notes & Traveler 9.0 was recorded and is available for streaming.

Roku was kind enough to send over the Roku 3 (model 4200R) for review. We compared this to the Roku 2 XD device I already had and I was just as impressed with the new interface it offered. Anyone that has not looked at a Roku needs to know that once you buy there is no other fees for the device itself.  Some channels, like Hulu Plus or Netflix or Amazon on Demand, may have subscriptions but there are so many free channels you do not need to worry.

The Roku 3 interface (coming soon to some Roku 2 devices) is a much needed improvement.  The grid look allows you to scroll faster and matches what you find in the XBox and metro interfaces.  The grid is also a rolling interface so it is endless and allows you to easily jump to the top again as you reach the end.

The device itself was the same size as the Roku 2 XD, The only difference was the rounded sides and the port layout on the back. The power cable from the previous version will not fit the Roku 3 so make sure you swap those out.  The Roku 3 is also only HDMI connected to the television so older model TVs are out.  You can choose between 720p and 1080p for the stream depending on your TV.  Lastly there is a microSd slot on the back and the same USB slot on the side.  Both allow you to plug in media to play locally.  I love that feature.

Connectivity to your network is wired or wifi as I show in the video. I choose wired to make sure I have a solid connection but I have used it via wifi at other's houses successfully and easily.  Either way the simple setup steps make it easy to swap or choose.

The new remote control for the Roku 3 has the built in headset jack for you to listen to whatever you are streaming without disturbing the room.  While the supplied headphones were ok, I would suggest something better if you plan on using this feature often. They also supplied some alternate ear piece sizes that popped on and off fairly easily.

You still get Angry Birds for free with the device and the remote allows you to play with simply waving it around.  Fin for a minute but I have ont rtied other games yet.  I spend too much time streaming content.

So get your hands on the Roku 3 today. I love it as an alternative to the Apple TV. Plus it is totally portable.  Meaning you take unplug it and take it to a family member house.  All your configurations go with you.

Roku 3 model 4200R

The webcast with Gabriella Davis, Paul Mooney and myself on What's New in IBM Domino, Notes & Traveler 9.0 replay is now on YouTube and available at Consultant In Your Pocket.

Also announcing What's New in IBM Domino Designer 9.0 on April 11 2013 with Paul Calhoun and Kathy Brown.  Registration is open now.

Join Scott Souder and Louis Richardson of IBM as they keynote BLUG (Benelux Lotus User Group) 2013 in Leuven, Belgium.

Scott Souder covers IBM Notes and Domino Social Edition, Lotus Traveler and more.
Louis Richardson discusses creativity crisis

This is an outstanding keynote worth paying close attention to all the details

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View the list of all the IamLUG 2013 sessions and then make sure you register now while there are still seats. You can also register for this TackItOn session from the IamLUG website
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note: sorry for the angle as the full  tripod did not make it in time.

IBM released a 20 page whitepaper called The Power of Cloud - Driving Business Model Innovation as an Executive Report for IBM Global Business Services.

While much activity and buzz relating to cloud involves its technological capabilities, the benefits of cloud adoption actually extend into the business realm.

When utilized effectively, cloud capabilities offer numerous opportunities to drive business innovation. Recent technology and social connectivity trends have created a perfect storm of opportunity for companies to embrace the power of cloud to optimize, innovate and disrupt business models.

You can download this free whitepaper right here.

I received the Kinivo PowerBank EBT5X portable charger for review and it has some excellent capabilities and charging power.

The Kinivo EBT5X PowerBank is a portable USB charger capable of charging your iOS devices, Android, BlackBerry and even iPad.  On a single charge I was able to recharge both my HTC EVO 4G and BlackBerry Torch II.  After a recharge of five hours it was able to get an iPad back to about 60% capacity.

The dual LED lights on the end stay light 14 hours on a single charge and also offer a blinking emergency mode.

The casing is a hard rubber giving it protection and it comes with a carrying case and USB cable for charging it back up.  Overall a great portable USB charger.

http://idonot.es/kinivoebt5x for the Kinivo device

Make sure you keep up with all of the product reviews from Spiked Studio from our YouTube playlist .

Other models referred to:
http://idonot.es/verbatim97927
http://idonot.es/powergen5200
http://idonot.es/powergen8400

 IBM Notes 9 with Designer and Admin took 18 minutes to unpack, select options and install fully.  As I return from AusLUG and BLUG, I realized I have a bunch of testing clients and machines to upgrade. For this test machine I chose the following options:

• Admin client with most every option
• Designer client with everything but help files (who needs those anyway)
• Notes client
• Social Edition components
• Sametime
• Connections components

Now one thing that the installer does not do for Social Edition is place the necessary lines in the notes.ini.  I will be covering that shortly in a longer post on OpenSocial component deployment.

*************************** Do not forget ******************

We are pleased to announce the What's New In IBM Notes & Domino Social Edition, Traveler and XWorks 9.0 webcast from Consultant In Your Pocket.  This webcast will feature a panel of IBM business partners giving their opinions on enhancements, features and more.  

Confirmed panelists are already Paul Mooney, Gabriella Davis and Mat Newman moderated by Chris Miller.

You can register for the event, for free, right here and join us live to ask questions and get our insight into the hottest capabilities coming.